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Hello there. I'm new to pianos and keyboards and needed some advice on a good compact and portable keyboard.

What I have in mind is a small keyboard that spans maybe a 2 1/2 octaves, roughly a foot or two in length, something I can take with me to the park. I have looked online through ebay and musiciansfriend and have found a couple, but would really like to know what some enthusiasts would recommend. Most of what I find seems to be oriented towards children.

I'm not sure what all is out there, my options may be limited. Anything anyone can recommend is very much appreciated.

There's a roll-up keyboard that can fit in your back pocket. It's about $50.00 at places like Sharper Image and cabletv shopping channels. I thought it was a joke, but I was surprised when I tried it. The keys, slightly smallerthan full size, are printed on a sheetof plastic with electrical circuitsinside. It's about 3 octaves. The black keys don't rise above the white ones, but it was actually a playableinstrument. Someone could really learn how to play the piano on this. It's far from ideal, but if portability is the number one concern, this is the piano for you.

One option, if you don't mind bringing a laptop along, would be buying a 2-2.5 octave controller keyboard and playing through your laptop. An advantage would be that you wouldn't have to worry about batteries as much, and would get decent sound - plus the ability to easily record.

Gyro- I saw those roll-up keyboards on eBay and was curious about them..glad to hear that they may actually be somewhat decent, I am definitely going to look into them. They seem great, just something to be able to get my ideas down on, nothing fancy. Thank you.

Eternal- I was thinking about this..like a midi controller, correct? I may end up doing this as well. Thank you.